


Aftermath

by truethingsproved



Series: Talk revolution to me, baby. [8]
Category: Les Misérables (2012), Les Misérables - All Media Types, Les Misérables - Schönberg/Boublil, Les Misérables - Victor Hugo
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Forgive Me, M/M, Multi, also when did i get this attached to marius, answer: "and myself with it" like OKAY HONEY PIE BUT PLEASE DON'T and suddenly marius stan??, prolonging this so i don't have to send mary kate back to school :(
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-17
Updated: 2013-02-17
Packaged: 2017-11-29 14:30:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/688043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/truethingsproved/pseuds/truethingsproved
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Are you sure about that? Do you even remember what you did today?”</p><p>“Yes, you self-righteous asshole, I was fucking there. Unlike you.”</p><p>“What’s that supposed to mean?”</p><p>“Did you come to stand up for something or just to try and babysit me?”</p><p>There’s a lot of sputtering and stammering, and then, finally, “If you don’t like having me trying to look after you, you don’t have to put up with it.” They’ve been at this for almost forty minutes now and they’re exhausted.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Aftermath

They argue the whole drive home.

It’s hard to tell who’s more uncomfortable, the couple fighting or the couple watching, but all four of them are unhappy right now. The two shouting are really going at it, screaming and swearing and throwing thinly-veiled insults at one another.

“Did you _really_ think I’d be okay with you coming to this fucking thing if I knew the shit you were going to pull?”

“Oh, it’s shit? Is it shit when _Enjolras_ is pulling it? Or just me?”

“I can’t do a fucking thing about Enjolras’ behavior but I sure as _fuck_ can try to get _you_ to see reason!”

“I’m not being unreasonable!”

“Are you sure about that? Do you even _remember_ what you did today?”

“ _Yes_ , you self-righteous asshole, I was fucking _there._ Unlike you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Did you come to stand up for something or just to try and babysit me?”

There’s a lot of sputtering and stammering, and then, finally, “If you don’t like having me trying to look after you, you don’t have to put up with it.” They’ve been at this for almost forty minutes now and they’re exhausted.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Go on. End things with me. I wouldn’t want to harsh your flow or _whatever_ the fuck you say.”

_Seriously?_

“Fine. We’re done.”

They are stony and silent the rest of the drive back, and when Eponine stops in front of Marius and Combeferre’s building, Combeferre reaches over to squeeze Eponine’s hand gently and Marius slams the car door behind him.

“I’ll call you?” Combeferre says softly, and Eponine nods, reaching over to kiss him protectively, touching two fingers to the bruise on his cheek.

“I’ll bring your car back tomorrow. Take it easy tonight, please?” she requests, and he nods, kissing her again. Once he’s out of the car she glances in the rearview mirror almost nervously to see if Cosette’s alright and isn’t surprised to see her staring silently out the window, her shoulders shaking and her face wet and shining and her knuckles rubbed raw.

Eponine turns up the radio and stares resolutely at the road, granting Cosette whatever privacy she can as the other girl simply cries, open and honest and terribly alone.

\------

Enjolras lets Grantaire back him against the kitchen counter in a frenzy of grasping hands and greedy lips, and the tenderness of his many bruises is forgotten in favor of the searing heat of Grantaire’s mouth fixed firmly against his. There are fingers tangled in hair and hips matched to hips and Enjolras kisses him almost desperately, as if he’s not sure what else he could possibly do that _isn’t_ kiss Grantaire.

How has it taken him this fucking long to do this? Grantaire gasps into his mouth and Enjolras swallows the sound possessively, pushing the soft cotton of Grantaire’s shirt up so he can dig his fingernails into the skin of Grantaire’s side. Every single too-long glance and not-so-accidental touch has been leading up to this and it’s all culminating in something that almost feels like a fury and _god_ he’s not touching anywhere _near_ enough of Grantaire, he wants bare skin pressed to bare skin across every inch he can reach and then some, and _Jesus Christ_ they’re both gasping and panting and scrambling to move closer together and Enjolras has been with plenty of people but never like this before and—

Grantaire pulls back with a sound that’s almost a whimper, breathing heavily, his hands shaking, and leans his forehead against Enjolras’ and laughs, the hand in Enjolras’ hair tightening and his other hand clamped around his hip like a vise. Enjolras tugs him closer, fisting his other hand in the front of Grantaire’s shirt, and rolls his hips against Grantaire’s, the corner of his mouth turning up in a wicked half-grin.

The sounds Grantaire is making are outright obscene and are more like whines now, and good god, he’s never wanted to _climb_ someone more in his life.

He lifts his hand from Grantaire’s shirt, noting with a brief grin of approval how wrinkled it is from his grip, to curl it around the back of the other man’s neck, and is pulling him back in to kiss him again when his phone vibrates in his pocket. He ignores it, sweeping his tongue past Grantaire’s teeth and tightening his grip when Grantaire shudders, but almost as soon as it stops vibrating it just starts up again.

“Are you gonna get that?” Grantaire breathes against his mouth and, frustrated, Enjolras fishes his phone out of his pocket and promptly drops it into the sink, not bothering to see if it falls into the day-old suds, though judging by the continued vibration it hasn’t.

“No,” he says, raising his eyebrows, and Grantaire lets out a nervous laugh that Enjolras cuts off in another fierce kiss.

Enjolras is focusing on a lot of things right now—the way Grantaire tastes, the way his breath hitches whenever Enjolras slides his hand across his stomach, and the hardness between his thighs pressed against his own, separated by layers of clothing—but time isn’t one of them. He’s not sure if they’ve been kissing for minutes or for years but either way he has no plans of stopping any time soon, and so when Grantaire lifts his mouth from Enjolras’ the blond lets out an indignant sound of protest.

“You’ve got to give me a minute, Apollo,” he says softly, looking at Enjolras like he’s not entirely sure if what he’s seeing can be trusted.

For everything the others like to say about how Enjolras is romantically and emotionally lacking he’s not oblivious. He’s known for a while now that Grantaire is pretty much in love with him; there’s suddenly an aching in his chest as he watches the way Grantaire’s eyes sweep over him with a certain sort of apprehensive wonder. He reaches up with an impossible tenderness, brushing his fingers across the gargoyle tattooed on Grantaire’s forearm as he does, to curl his fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck.

“I am exactly where I want to be,” he promises once Grantaire’s eyes meet his again, and the way Grantaire looks at him makes him feel like he’s falling.

\------

 **Eponine:** Listen i know you’re at r’s now and this is probably something big but

 **Eponine:** Marius and cosette broke up and cosette’s pretty broken up about it so just

 **Eponine:** Please make an effort to be nice to both of them, okay?

 **Eponine:** Mary kate’s over here, too, and we’re having a girls’ night with too much ice cream and bad horror movies

 **Eponine:** Also the only excuse you have for not texting me back is if you’re getting laid so congrats on the sex

\------

Mary Kate is clinging to Cosette a bit like a baby sloth and Cosette pets her hair absently, her eyes rimmed with red and her jaw set. She is too angry to be sad and too sad to be angry and so there’s a hollow numbness in her stomach.

She wants to text Grantaire but knows that Enjolras is there and someone deserves to have a good night tonight. Musichetta and Eponine are there as well, and they’re watching The Covenant and emptying the fourth pint of ice cream of the night, but Cosette doesn’t care. Eponine keeps glancing over at her side, probably to text Combeferre—wonderful Combeferre, kind Combeferre, Combeferre who congratulated her for punching a cop in the face when he’d gone for Marius and who’d nearly gotten arrested himself—and Cosette can’t stop the bitter sting of jealousy.

Mary Kate seems to understand, and she nuzzles Cosette’s neck sleepily, and even though Cosette is strong on her own and has been through hell and back and doesn’t cry over boys who break her heart she’s shaking again, her nose tucked in Mary Kate’s hair and her tears falling too quickly for her to do anything to stop them. The other girl’s arms snake around Cosette’s waist and Musichetta reaches over to stroke her blonde hair back and Eponine tucks her head on Cosette’s shoulder and for the first time in years she feels utterly alone while surrounded.

Cosette lets out a watery laugh when something amusing happens on screen and resumes eating her ice cream and even though Musichetta and Eponine drift back to where they’d been Mary Kate refuses to let go, and it’s easy to see that she grew up with Grantaire during her formative years.

The phone on her dresser lights up and Musichetta stands to pick it up. “It’s Marius,” she says quietly, and Cosette shakes her head, still crying, so Musichetta sets it down again and comes back to sit on the floor next to her.

They all fall asleep like that, surrounded by blankets and pillows and with Mary Kate’s hand tight in Cosette’s, and Cosette can’t sleep for hours because she’s crying too much. Mary Kate simply holds her tighter.

\------

 **Enjolras:** Wait a second, how the fuck did Marius and Cosette break up? I left you guys alone for like, twelve hours, and the world went to shit. Did the mouth of Hell open up too?

 **Eponine:** Idek. She’s been crying most of the night and mary kate’s a fucking godsend. How are you doing?

 **Enjolras:** I’m great, actually.

 **Eponine:** Did what i think happened happen?

 **Enjolras:** Yes.

 **Eponine:** Are you happy?

 **Enjolras:** It’s four in the morning and one of my arms is numb because he’s fallen asleep on it. He’s said my name in his sleep twice and every time he wakes up he looks at me like he can’t believe I’m here.

 **Enjolras:** So yes.

 **Enjolras:** I’m happy.

\------

Marius is asleep on the couch because he’s refused to go into his room, not while Cosette’s things are still in there, and Combeferre has no idea what to do.

He’s not good at helping people through breakups because a) they are entirely illogical, b) he doesn’t date enough to have much breakup knowledge, and c) this is Marius and even if he knew exactly what to do he’d still need a real-people-to-Marius dictionary.

But he still hates seeing Marius like this. Marius won’t even cry. If he was crying this would be easier. Crying people are easy. You pat them awkwardly on the back and let them make a mess of your shirt and then make them tea and mutter “there, there,” which is an entirely nonsensical phrase, and then whisper promises of a better tomorrow. It’s easy to forget that Marius has been through plenty on his own; his family’s disowned him because of his involvement with Enjolras and his group—Enjolras had been shockingly proud of him when he’d heard, proud and honored and humbled. It is the only time in Combeferre’s memory that Enjolras has ever been struck speechless.

When you piss off enough politicians and your parents are involved in politics people tend to notice and ask some frankly invasive questions and if it comes down to you or their careers your parents are going to pick their careers.

Comebeferre sits awkwardly on the arm of the couch, waiting, and sure enough there’s a knock on the door before the clock hits nine. Enjolras is standing outside, and he comes into the apartment without a word, just a nod to Combeferre, before kneeling in front of the couch and looking at Marius.

Marius just clears his throat and shakes his head and Enjolras clasps his hand so tightly in both of his that his fingers are mottled red and white. They don’t say a word.

\------

 **Combeferre:** Enjolras is here. How’s Cosette?

 **Eponine:** Furious. But mostly sad. how are YOU?

 **Combeferre:** Sore, but fine, and endlessly pleased you dragged me out to kiss on a bridge at two in the morning.

 **Combeferre:** She’s lucky to have you. So am I.

 **Eponine:** Can i come over later?

 **Combeferre:** How about I take you out to lunch and we spend the entire time kissing in my car instead?

 **Eponine:** See you in an hour.

\------

They would do this for longer, except Marius is impatient.

If they’re not getting back together, if she really meant it, he wants to know and he wants to know _now_ so he can know to leave her be, and so he pounds on her dorm door until she opens it, looking exhausted and almost nervous. He’s spent the day with Enjolras just sitting with him, and he feels far braver than he normally would; he knows she’s been with Grantaire and Mary Kate from the smell of beer and pot hanging on her clothes, but she hasn’t had enough to drink or smoke to make her look less alone.

He’s never seen her this small, this tired, and he really wants to reach forward and kiss her until she’s smiling again, but she looks about to flinch if he makes any sudden movements.

“Can I come in?” he asks, and Cosette just steps back, giving him space.

He rehearsed this on the way—he even made _Enjolras_ listen to him—but he’s still terrified because this is _Cosette._ No one has ever mattered to him this much. And yes, it’s really only been a couple of months, but still.

They stand there awkwardly, silent and uncomfortable, and she keeps glancing at him curiously before flushing and looking away. He can’t think of what he was going to say and so instead he chokes out, “You punched a cop, Cosette.”

Suddenly the loneliness flies from her face, only to be replaced by anger. “Yes, I’m well aware,” she says dryly. “I was there for that. You’re welcome.”

“I’m supposed to be _grateful_ that you put yourself at risk?” She opens her mouth to argue and he shakes his head. “Listen. I know I’m not like you guys. You’re passionate and angry and I’m just idealistic; I don’t have anything useful to contribute to the group and the greatest thing I ever did was meet you. The majority of you tolerate me at best. And honestly I don’t mind it from them but you are the best part of my life and the only part of my life that really counts in the long run and do you have any idea how terrifying that was? I was so sure you were going to get hurt, or arrested, and yes, it’s your life. I’m not going to argue that. I’m going to ask you to let me in.”

Cosette is so shocked by this that she actually falls silent and Marius just keeps going, getting steadily more agitated.

“And I’m not mad at you for doing what you believe in and fighting for something. I’m actually really embarrassingly proud of you because you’re far braver than I could ever be but I’m not made like Jehan and Grantaire. I can’t see you in danger and not be terrified and angry when you might get hurt. I don’t have very many people left, Cosette, and I don’t want to lose you. I was angry and I didn’t mean it and if I could take it back I would, and _shit,_ I had a whole thing planned…” Marius stops himself from rambling and just sighs, steepling his fingers and shaking his head.

After a moment, Cosette speaks, slowly. “I can’t change how I am, Marius.”

“I don’t want you to.”

“I’m always going to be reckless and I’m never going to think everything through.”

“I know.”

“I need you to be okay with that.”

Marius’ lower lip is trembling dangerously and he shakes his head, shrugging. “I don’t know that I can.”

She lets out a quivering laugh, looking at her ceiling, and he’s so miserable being so close to her and seeing her this upset and not being able to do anything about it.

“Where do we go from here?” she asks quietly, and her voice cracks, and Marius crosses his arms over his chest tightly to keep himself from grabbing her and pulling her towards him and just holding her until everything’s right again.

His “I don’t know” is soft, and she looks like she’s about to start crying again, and he says, very softly, “But you’re worth losing my shit over, so if you want time to figure out if you want me around, we can do that, but I just… I know you’re not supposed to say this when you haven’t been together that long but I love you, Cosette, in that really humiliating romantic comedy sense where I’d stand outside your window throwing pebbles until you came out. I mean, I—”

Cosette holds a hand up to stop him.

“You what?”

“I love you.” And he looks almost apologetic at that, like he doesn’t want to have to pile more pressure onto her. He pushes off the wall he’s leaning on and turns for the door but she’s catching his hand and kissing him and laughing breathlessly and kissing him again. And again. And again. He’s thoroughly baffled now but he goes along with it, making a mental note to congratulate Enjolras on getting a boyfriend because women are confusing as hell.

Then he remembers that Enjolras’ boyfriend is Grantaire and that Grantaire makes even less sense than women and scratches that mental note out.

Cosette sighs into his mouth and snakes her arms around his neck. “I don’t want us to be over,” she confesses. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I said that.”

He rests one hand on the small of her back and the other around the back of her skull and breathes in.

“And I want us to work this out more than anything because I love you, too, and I want you to be the one shouting at me for punching cops for the rest of my life, and I want to be the one infuriating you.”

It’s a strange little declaration of love but it works.

“And you have a point,” she continues, nuzzling under his ear. “And we’ll find some compromise but I don’t want us over and I don’t think you do either and I love you so much I can’t come up with a good analogy.”

Since words aren’t quite working he just kisses her again and hopes it gets the message across.

It does.

**Author's Note:**

> oh gosh I'm so overwhelmed because do you know how great you all are? I'm also really sorry it took so long to update--full course load again, and it's eating up all my time, so the updates will be more spread out, I'm sorry. :(
> 
> But on to fun things!
> 
> -go look at this right now it's a GIF do you see iT MOVES http://thats-fassynating.tumblr.com/post/43270751160/it-took-me-forever-and-a-pack-cigarettes-to-finish  
> -and augh this flawless artist also did these two sets DEAD I AM DEAD AND GONE   
> -http://thats-fassynating.tumblr.com/post/43247720889/few-things-from-my-sketchbook-ugh-guys-i-think-my  
> -http://thats-fassynating.tumblr.com/post/42981268291/i-should-repeat-awesome-modern-au-series-read-it  
> -and these oh god THESE  
> -http://iambickilometer.tumblr.com/post/43283860460/to-celebrate-no-longer-being-in-a  
> -http://tazioparrish.tumblr.com/post/43267588911/r-enjol-ution-part-7-of-the-talk-revolution-to  
> -http://tazioparrish.tumblr.com/post/42737168404/inspired-by-the-awesome-talk-revolution-to-me  
> -http://spinthetireslightthefires.tumblr.com/post/42746877340/r-enjol-ution-part-vii-of-talk-revolution-to  
> -http://drowninglovers.tumblr.com/post/42953216340  
> -http://isabelatheking.tumblr.com/post/43091664420/something-is-clearly-possessing-him-to-do-this-but  
> -and someone asked me who I'd cast as who so here you go http://duskjolras.tumblr.com/post/43272661524/ive-had-a-few-people-ask-who-id-cast-for-trtmb  
> -I'm duskjolras on Tumblr and I track that tag as well as 'talk revolution to me baby' so if you want to make something to do with TRTMB I'd love to see it  
> -I'm also prolly gonna post the drabbles up here as well? Is that something I should do that you'd want to see? Right now they're at my tumblr and tagged "trtmb drabbles", and I'm p. much always accepting prompts.  
> -anyway god thank you all so much. This is such an incredible experience and I'm so glad to be able to share it with you. <3
> 
> Huge endless thanks to Emily, as per usual, and Lily, and Simon, and if you're not reading their fics go read them now (jehans, astrid_fischer, and mercuryhatter respectively).
> 
> Love you all to bits and pieces. Facekisses all around.


End file.
